Sick

I've been a little under the weather earlier in the semester, but I'm hoping what I have is the 24-hour bug, which I got about 4 years ago. Knotted stomach. Fluids exiting my body rapidly. Trying to drink ginger ale and Gatorade. Figured I'd try and do something to take my mind off it, since I don't seem to feel any better.

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See The Box.

See Ballast.

See Low and Behold. (when you can, since I got surreptitious DVD copy).

I have a feeling my explanations won't make any sense, but I saw them all within seven days.

And they're all easily in my Top 100 Favorite Movies of all time list. So good all around in so many ways.

That will come closer to the end of the year...

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Wrote two poems the other day, both within about an hour, and that's what happened so many times with the poems in Ghost Lights.

I feel like I'm someone who sometimes writes to get shit out of my head. The horrible shit that no one wants to hear about or read about it. Therapeutic? No, because none of it (well almost none of it) has nothing to do with me.

But sometimes you have to do that to move on. I've had people say, "So what? A tragedy happened." Well, yeah, I understand that, but obviously it didn't affect you to the point where you constantly think about it and dream about it, and sometimes the amalgam of two or three. For that I commend you. But I can't do that. And I feel like it has to hit paper before I can get it out of my head. I can't see myself ever getting away from this for as long as I last in this poetry world, if I end up lasting at all. But that's fine. I do what I can.

That said, I have an idea for another one that I'm struggling with. I'm going to try to get a new batch ready for the end of November, so we'll see if we can make it happen. With the next few weekends booked, along with all the grading and end-of-the-semester paper writing, I don't see it happening, but at least it's a goal.

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I had some other things I wanted to get on this post, but I forget what they are.

I need more fluids. And maybe some Saltines.

Vicki

November seems to be my month. I think everyone who submits has one, though I probably jinxed the future Novembers. So seems it shall stay. Thanks to Josh and Michael at Grist, though, for taking a poem for their next issue, which I believe will be Grist's second. The website is really nice-looking and user-friendly, they post content from their issues on the site (which I always like to see from journals), and it seems like it'll be making its mark as the issues keep coming. The poem is an older one, though it's not that old I suppose. It's a poem I always debated putting in GHOST LIGHTS, so I may play around and see if it can fit somewhere.

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Also was able to snag the pilot of Eastbound and Down, which I think got picked up by HBO. I think it's the masterminds behind The Foot Fist Way, even though I thought that movie was highly overrated. A bit different and entertaining, yes, but I don't know if I'd watch it again. That said, I've been hearing great things about this pilot, so hopefully it's good, and hopefully it'll be on HBO soon.

It's like David Gordon Green was a spider meticulously caring for his egg sacks, and then they gave birth and just set fire to everything. So many directors, cinematographers, producers, and actors are now working in Hollywood and Los Angeles and other places across the country and are getting projects green lit because of his support and his influence and friendship. It's great to witness. Now Low and Behold needs to get released, which I've been wanting to see forever.